Learning through living experience using the practical applications of  the Feldenkrais Method and Nonviolent Communication.

After a decade of practicing and teaching Dr. Marshall Rosenberg’s method of Communication and integrating it with Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais’s Somatic Education as a Practitioner,  lifestyle patterns emerged and became evident.  These lifestyle patterns that could be considered behaviour responses to environmental influences had similarities in the student’s age​ ranges from young to mature.  Pursuing this seed of awareness that emerged from student to student led to a dedicated focus on cultural conditioning.  The focus origin was somatic, not analytical.  The pattern both Doctors, mentioned above, introduced became the template for exploring this.  While Dr. Feldenkrais’s method focused attention on the somatic experience first, I recognize Dr. Rosenberg’s model could have led to that experience had the integration process been smoother​ and with more ease in a society where educational conditioning has led from an analytical perspective first.  

Educational conditioning of Inside Awareness Somatic Integrative Learning patterns

The success in retraining the brain patterns through the above models, Feldenkrais Method of Somatic Education and Nonviolent Communication is due to the nature of the perspectives gleaned from a form of Buddhist Meditation introduced to North America by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. A controversial figure however an excellent Meditation and Life Teacher.  Through the experience of his teachings, an understanding of leading from an inner compass was first that was described in my life patterns..  It was Dr. Rosenberg’s Model that the connection to Universal Values enhanced this concept and brought it to life in day-to-day living experiences.  The first and second stages of Rinpoche’s meditation practice tapped into the patterns of Awareness through the Movement lessons of Dr. Feldenkrais.  This later became a pivotal experience in the Functional Integration lessons associated with Feldenkrais.  Rinpoche’s seed syllabus for this practitioner was “beginner mind.”  

It was during the meditation training and practice that a Buddhist perspective of Feng Shui was available.  It was a practical form of the third level of meditation called the Vajrayana for this practitioner.  The incongruency in the lifestyles of the teachers and the etheric otherworldly application of this third level of mediation was not an environment of trustworthiness for this practitioner.  Feng Shui and subtle energies solutions was an option that appeared in the right time and place.  The focus of Feng Shui is in reality and with its practical applications can change and transform lifestyle experiences. 

The Perspective or Foundation for Filtering Mindfulness Studies and Environmental Influences

The perspective formed through cultural conditioning for receiving the mindfulness teaching and environmental studies was through the conditioning of a dominant somatic empath. The career focus was in the hospitality industry which led to a multitude of positions that could be considered apprenticeships.  Living in a region where the opportunities were filled from within, employment wasn’t so much a dull job, it was a creative and exciting life filled with challenges.  As a dominant somatic empath this style of living, working and training was a wish fulfillment.

​The last position I held in the hospitality industry was in Nanaimo, B.C. on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.   I was hired and relocated from Vancouver, B.C., where I worked for the Sheraton Landmark.  The position didn’t immediately have a title however I believed it was to become the General Manager.  However, the property was being converted from a Seniors Assisted Living Home into a Hotel.  The Person who had designed the assisting living accommodations had taken over a historic hotel and had run out of funds due to the design costs.  He had a luxurious theme that cost more than the funds allocated.  A Japanese firm purchased the property and hired a Management Company from B.C. to run it.  ​This Management Company hired me on the recommendation of a Manager at Coast Hotels.  They sought me out.  The Management Company was formed by a group in the Emissaries of Divine Light out of 100 Mile House in B.C. This community was formed by a British Lord, Lord Exeter, who owned land in Central British Columbia.  It was an opportunity to expand my worldview working for this community and to learn about their philosophy.  Several hotel connections suggested it was a cult and advised against this position however it turned into an exercise in self-recognition of the differences in skill development and education in the industry they were managing.  It also inspired a deeper exploration of human behaviour and cultural conditioning.  Due to their philosophy in hotel management, I elected not to take the General Manager position and instead explore the position of Food and Beverage Manager.  This led to a proposal for a Catering and Service ​Center that included a floor plan design, including a separate kitchen, furniture, linen and employee manuals.  There was a strong sense that this was the direction for long-term viability in the marketplace,. My intuition was taking in the environmental influences which was the hotel was right across a laneway. A newer hotel in a major chain, the Coast Bastion Inn.  This catering service proved itself year after year.

Life in Victoria, B.C.

The transition from Professional Community Orientated Career to Personal Community Orientated Educational Initiatives:

Renee Lindstrom has lived in Victoria, B.C. since 1990 when she spent a season living on a small sailboat at the Famous Fisherman’s Wharf. It was on the wharf facing Barb’s Fish and Chips before becoming a famous landmark. It was a small community of people living an alternative lifestyle that demonstrated a caring and heartful community that was unique. Moving to Victoria and taking a break from a professional management career in the hospitality industry after many losses in less than 10 months. These experiences inspired taking time to rest and transition. This led to pursuing personal development through somatic methods with a focus on cultivating awareness like meditation, spiritual development, Feng Shui, Nonviolent Communication and The Feldenkrais Method of Somatic Education. Integrating these methods became a lifestyle and career. It leads to planting seeds for developing conscious awareness tin the community through practical educational events and projects. To explore some of these through a picture album visit Renee’s community page.   

Renee is a natural teacher and innovator. She has been actively teaching in Greater Victoria since the late nineties in the areas of educational programs for personal development and cultural conditioning. Before that, she was a teacher and mentor in the hospitality industry as a manager in various positions from the front end (rooms), administration and food and beverage with Delta Hotels, Coast Hotels and the Dorchester in Nanaimo.

Renee has been elected to the organization’s board of directors in a variety of focuses and created programs and projects that didn’t exist previously to bring attention and plant seeds of conscious awareness for positive change.

Some of the organizations Renee participated in as a Board Member or Supported at the development stages are: 

• Society of Handicap Children in Northern B.C.
• Shambhala Meditation Center
• B.C. Network for Compassionate Communication,
• Victoria Health Co-operative

In the hospitality industry, one of the focuses of attention was on creating and hosting events. This included hosting events for clients and supporting their creativity by taking their ideas and creating it. This extended into the new era of creating events that expressed personal and carer focus. Both the first and second eras had a community focus. Some of the events created can be seen on the community project page. The events on the community project page were started and created from scratch and were initiated through inspiration and a concept.    

In the Community pages, you will view events that have been created to host other members in the community along with community educational programs hosting community members and herself. Renee is a public speaker on cultural conditioning, education and personal wellness development. She continues to teach somatic movement, communication and environmental influences and consults in businesses, schools and homes to create value-based cultures. Programs to support social education are available and listed on the Book page.

Learn more about the educational programs Renee offers through her Inside Awareness Center for Integrative Somatic Learning that support natural actionable health and wellness integrative steps for home, work and relationships.

Contact Renee to inquire about public presentation needs and topic ideas for value based conditioning events, value-based social conditioning in the work place and personal skill development for health and wellness.

Please like and subscribe

Follow on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, X or Pinterest